


Object Of My Affection

by Demitria_Teague



Series: The Object Of My Affection [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adventure, BDSM, Battle, Different Planets, Established Relationship, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fantasy, Future Prequeal to this Verse, Heterosexual Sex, Humor, Jotun/Human Sex, Loki in his Jotun Form, Magic, Magic training, Mentions of past sexual situations, Picnicks, Romance, Scifi Gadgets, horse riding, mature language, saracasm, scifi, space travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-09-26
Packaged: 2018-04-06 18:43:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4232691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demitria_Teague/pseuds/Demitria_Teague
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki and Darcy are in a comfortable relationship.  They have been together for a while.  I wrote this for my friend Alexis, because she wanted it so bad.  It's the perfect opportunity for me to please her, experiment with this pairing and to take them on a whirl wind of adventure, while satisfying my love of fantasy, scifi, adventure, magic, BDSM, and a lot of other awesome stuff.  This adventure is going to be ep-iiiic!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Object Of My Affection

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AlexisJ_Loki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexisJ_Loki/gifts).



> I invite you to leave 'Kudos' to support my work + 'Subscribe' to be notified when there's an update. Thank you so much for reading.

 

Loki awoke to the feeling of the airy caress of a fan on high at the base of his neck. He kept his eyes closed for a few more seconds as he took in a deep breath. The oxygen flowed through his lungs and expanded through out his body, reviving him for a new day. He smirked as a very loud, very familiar voice carried easily through the walls, completely shattering the silence. "Darcy," he whispered, grinning.

His chest began to shake with silent laughter. She was something else. He didn't regret his decision for a second. He'd relinquished his badges for a human life time. Darcy's life time.

It wasn't like he didn't have his magic. He was merely a little less than what he used to be. As he listened to Darcy shout profanities at some unknown source, he opened his eyes and tipped his head further back in to his pillow. He stretched his left arm over his head and let it fall on to the pillow. It felt so good to be able to wake up and just relax.

He rapidly a few times, trying to dissuade the sleep from his eyes. The room was bathed in a light blue hue, as the sun was barely in to the middle of the sky. Their room had two ornate glass doors encased in wooden frames, which opened on to a wide veranda. Darcy kept the expanse of the thick, white curtains swept or pinned to either side of the window to allow natural light in to the room. She loved natural light.

This was her favorite time of the day. As if on Que, the bedroom door opened and Loki immediately caught the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Darcy's slender frame appeared around the door before her head did. He couldn't help the eyebrow that raised in fond amusement at the way she awkwardly shuffled backwards a few steps, like she was being cautious of something in the hallway, before she turned to face him. She helled a mug of coffee in one hand and she used her free hand to quickly swipe her bangs out of her eyes.

He gave her the same expression he always gave her when a reminder of her choice to let a random hair dresser cut her bangs was brought to light. It was an 'I told you so ' mixed with 'I'm so sorry that you are distressed' expression.

She huffed and and stomped to the bed. "I'm so glad that you find this sooo entertaining," she said, her voice rising to that slightly higher level that she managed to reach every time she wanted to give him a good tongue lashing.

He smiled up at her. "I didn't say anything, darling."

She glowered at him. Suddenly, her shoulders slumped forward as she seemed to deflate. Carefully, she passed him the mug of coffee, which he gratefully accepted, and sank face first down on to the opposite end of the bed. When she spoke again, he couldn't make out a single word she was saying. He just let her carry own.

This happened a lot. He wasn't sure if she really cared or not that she was completely inaudible. As per all her enigmatic tendencies he found her amusing. His mother always told him that eccentricities were rare treasures amidst a barrel of bland normalities. Darcy was indeed a treasure.

He'd tried to tell her exactly how he viewed her. That she made him think of the brightest, rarest, nature formed stone one could possibly wish to discover on their many travels through out the ages. She had just blinked at him and told him to stop spouting poetry. That it was cheesy as hell. He had then pinned her down and brought her to completion with his fingers whilst he whispered real poetry in her ears.

He grinned at the memory. Yes, that had been a most gratifying day. There was a deep in-take of breath and he turned to find her looking questioningly at him.

"What's so funny," she asked. Her full lips were accentuated by the the bright read she had lined them in and by the fact that she had them characteristically pushed slightly out in an almost petulant way. He sat up and leaned forward. He hummed as their lips met, because hers were velvety smooth aside from the tackiness of the lipstick. He didn't mind that the color would most likely stain his own lips.

She didn't seem to mind leaving lipstick stains on any part of him and she didn't care who saw them. As long as he kept to modesty, which was silly. Why would he go around showing his body off to any one that wasn't her? Sometimes, even after all the time he'd spent here, Midgardian's still confused him. When he pulled back Darcy's lids were heavy and there was a familiar spark in her eyes.

That would have led to satisfyingly lewd things had someone not insistently started buzzing the door bell. He scowled at the same time that Darcy growled. She extricated herself from his grip and jumped off the bed. She stomped in to the hallway and he listened as she continued in the same manner to the front door.

\------

"What?" Darcy snatched the front door open to reveal a sheepish looking Jane. She glared at her.

Jane grinned widely before she said, "Hi."

She glared harder.

"Ok ok," she said immediately, throwing her arms up, and Darcy recognized the beginning of a rant or ramble. "I was offered a job." She pushed past her and headed straight for the living room.

"Hey," Darcy called out to her. "Rude much. This is my house." There was no reply. "Jane..."

She started running to catch up. Jane kept the same hurried pace down the hallway and she didn't even slow as she made her way to the beige, thick cushioned couch in front of the coffee table. "You had better not scuff my table," she commanded pointing at the offending boot encased feet that were crossed at the ankles and currently on her freshly purchased house-ware item.

Jane seemed to be peering off in to space for a few seconds before she snapped her head around to look at her. Her gaze was intense, eyebrows drawn down and she had that..."

"Oh, no," Darcy said, pointing at her. "I told you I was on vacation. I am not going any where with you."

"I need you, though," she whined. "I can't go there by myself for three months."

"Three months?"

"I need you're support."

"No." She crossed her arms firmly over her chest.

\------

Five Days Later...

Darcy sighed as Jane continued to collect her clothes off the asphalt of the airport and shove them back in to her suitcase. She'd stumbled down the last few steps of the airplane and dropped it over the right side of the railing. She may have convinced her to come on this trip, but there was no way in hell that she was helping her do anything other than work. Every second of time that wasn't work related belonged to her, Loki, and their 'them' time. Period.


	2. Motel Happenings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because of a mix up with their hotel, they instead, get stuck in a motel. This is what happens while they're there.

"Taxi." Jane helled her hand up and the Taxi slowed down before it came to a stop against the curb she was standing on.

Darcy looked over at Loki and she had to fight the urge to smile as he fidgeted with the suitcase she'd insisted he use. It was a deep blue, medium sized, one with a handle that extended so that he could use the wheels on it. This was the first time he'd used it and his face was pinched as he tried to get it to work.

"How did I manage to allow you to talk me in to taking this thing," he complained.

She couldn't help it anymore. Clutching her stomach, she double over and laughed at him.

"What?" He insisted. "It's not funny. I could have used my leather bag and wouldn't have to worry about this. I don't need wheels."

That just made her laugh harder. Wiping her eyes, she looked back at him and he was scowling at her. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "Your just..." She waved a hand at him and her laughter puttered out as she took in his face, his clothes, the way his lips were pursed in a tight line. "So cute."

He huffed. "I'm not cute. I'm annoyed and it's all your fault. You make everything so difficult."

She walked over to him and smoothed her hands across the shoulder of his coat. It was a dark one that emphasized his shoulders. The rest of his clothes were form fitting, but casual. Light jeans, a button down collared 'T' and a pair of Nike's. It almost had a metro-sexual appeal, but the jeans weren't tight enough to fully pull it off. Not that he even knew what metro-sexual meant.

It was a good look. "I know that you're annoyed with this trip." She rolled her eyes. "So am I, but Jane..." She looked over at her. The taxi driver was helping her load her bags in the trunk. "She's helpless. She needs me."

Loki looked at Jane and worked his jaw around in clear annoyance. "I swear if it wasn't for you I'd..."

He made a 'mph' sound as he cut him off by putting her hands over his mouth. "No world domination talk, please. I really don't want to have to worry about Shield making a stink of it. Come on." She grabbed his sleeve and began to pull him towards the taxi.

 

      

 

The motel room they'd been assigned was atrocious. In the expanse of a twelve hours he'd went from a lavish home with tasteful decor, bathed in natural light to a small dingy one bedded room with cheap mints on the pillows. He sneered in distaste. The bathroom door opened as Darcy came back in to the room. She had a hair band in her mouth and was using her hands to roll her hair in to a ball. She made a face at him.

"What?" He asked.

"You look like you want to fry the bed with your brain."

He rolled his eyes. "I really wished you'd stop making comments like that." He removed his coat and folded it up. He placed it on the bed side table before he added, "Besides, I don't have that ability."

She crawled up the bed to lean against the headboard. The dim lamp light caused unflattering shadows to play across her face. She resembled a ghoul as she twisted the band around her hair. Her eyes looked wider and her skin tone appeared a milky pale yellow color. He vowed to at least bring some ambiance in to the room before the day was over.

"I guess it's a good thing that you don't have the ability to catch things on fire with your mind, then, because I am not sleeping on this nasty carpet," she said, reaching for the remote. She clicked the television on and started flipping through the channels.

He sighed and lowered himself on the bed. "I thought Lady Jane was supposed to be someone of importance. Why would they put her in a place like this?"

Darcy shrugged. "She texted me while I was in the bathroom. Said something about a mix up with our room and that this was the only thing available until in the morning."

The first time she'd told him that she communicated with people while in the bathroom he'd been appalled. He still felt it inappropriate and had told her as much, but she was a Midgardian and he wasn't. That was one of the small things he'd had to just let go, because she did it with frightening regularity and was adamant to keep doing it. "What time in the morning?"

She turned her head to look at him. Her expression was blank for a few seconds before a smile slowly began to form on her face.

"What?" He warily asked. His eyes went wide as she suddenly launched herself at him. He let out an 'oof' as she landed on top of him. He could feel her knees against his hip bones as she straddled him.

"I'm positive if I were Midgardian that your little attack would have caused me physical pain."

Her hair fan around his head as she grinned down at him. "And I'm sure if I didn't know to avoid your various bony body parts I would've hurt myself."

He scowled. "I am not bony. I'm lithe."

"What ever." She moaned as she firmly pressed her lips to his. She pulled back for just enough time to say, "Just shut up and kiss me. We have to make up for being interrupted this morning."

He smirked at her and reached up to push his fingers in to her hair.

 

 

Darcy was one of those women that gave everything. When it came to love making he'd thought she'd be wild, demanding, but lovely about it and she was, but she was also receptive to a point that it drove him mad. When the most of her wants and desperation were taken care of she became languid and sensual. A soft sigh escaped her lips as he ran his hand up the thigh of the leg that was wrapped around his waist. He ghosted his lips over her right ear and she raised her hips up to meet his slow thrust.

"Yes," she said and her voice was so thick with relaxed arousal that it came out as more of a whisper. He seethed and tightened his grip on her hip to thrust again, harder. She gasped and arched in to the movement. He captured her lips with his and she made breathy little whimpers as he slowly lavished them. Sharp streaks of heat forming on his back made him shift his focus outwards from the softness surrounding him and wetness of her woman hood.

She was clawing at his back and making noises of desperation. She was close. He realized her thighs were trembling beneath his fingertips. He lifted her other leg and guided it around his waist. "I've got you," he whispered against her lips.

"Please please," she pleaded as she pulled him closer. "I'm..."

"So, close," he finished for her. "I know. I know." He bent his knees to get a better angle before he rolled his hips in to her. It wasn't about speed.

It was about technique. He rocked in to her with more pressure than he previously had, making sure to roll his hips to the left as he did so. Her grip tightened around him and he felt sweat roll down between his shoulder blades. His mind was swimming with arousal and having her this close was so heady that he had to control himself to keep from hurting her. He could feel her fragility as she clung to him.

She trusted him and he would not break that trust. He inhaled deeply and planted his knees firmly against the sheets. He continued his thrusts. Thrust, roll hips. Thrust, roll hips. "Mmm," he moaned.

Every time he thrust in to her she would cling to his back and her fingernails would rake against the flesh beneath. Every time he felt the warm stinging sensation of the scratches a sharp spike of abrupt pleasure would shoot down in to his groin. He felt the moment that she became wetter and he pressed in to her desperately, now chasing his own release as well as hers. It was so good. So so good.

"Darcy," he whispered. She replied by pressing her lips to the side of his neck, his shoulder, his cheek. She wrapped her fingers in his hair and pulled his forehead to hers. She gasped as all of the muscles in her body tensed up. The powerful clinch of her inner muscles forced him out of her body and he reached beneath her and stroked himself quickly.

As she began to go lax beneath him he felt his own release wash over him. With a silent cry he buried his face in the pillow while she helled on to him.

He wasn't sure how long he lay there. The sound of air conditioning in the room brought him back to his surroundings. He inhaled deeply as he raised himself up. Darcy's eyes were closed and she had a soft smile on her face. He leaned his forehead against hers and she made a soft sound in acknowledgement.

"Sleepy," she said.

He smiled before he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Her body was soft, warm and slightly sticky with sweat as he pulled her on to his chest. For a couple of hours, there was no more complaints about the motel room as they slept.

 

 

"Oooo." Darcy leapt over the side of the bed to pick up the small card on Loki's bedside table. "It does have a menu," she said excitedly.

"What?"

She turned to look at him and he was staring at her in confusion. "The motel. This motel," she said, waving her hands around. "There's a buffet. One for breakfast and one for diner. I'm hungry." She tipped sideways to look at the small, black clock that was also on his bedside table. "It's only ten minutes until it starts. We should go," she added, straightening up.

He grimaced.

"The food can't be that bad," she exclaimed. "I'm hungry."

"Ok ok," he said, throwing his hands up. "Let's go then, honestly. I don't know how I ever put up with you."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

 

 

The motel dining area was surprisingly nice. In a Mom and Pops kind of way. It was warm and inviting with clothe covered tables, sconce lights and a white counter to display the available food. There were a few people there already. At the table towards to further wall an elderly couple was facing each other.

Their conversation was inaudible as she made her way towards the food. A woman with a large polka dotted umbrella sat at a smaller table near the food bar. Darcy made a face as she was nearly choked to death from what she assumed was the woman's perfume. Loki regarded her in concern. She just shook her head and reached for a plate.

The food bar offered fried chicken, biscuits, mash potatoes and... She puffed her lips out. "Ramen noodles," she said, considering them.

Loki eyed them curiously. "Are they strange?"

She lifted a hand as she said, "Just random." Shrugging, she added a pile of them on to her plate. When Loki did the same she smiled at him and shook her head. "I like that you're not afraid to try new things."

He shrugged one shoulder. "Why not?"

 

 

That night Darcy called Jane to tell her they were tucking it in for night. When she hung up Loki asked her what else Jane had said. He was wearing a pair of black jogging pants that sat low on his hips and one arm situated behind his head on the pillow. When she didn't immediately answer him he looked up at her. "Darcy?"

"Hmm?" Her eyes snapped up from his hips. She grinned. "Sorry. You know, you should seriously wear those pants more often."

One side of his mouth quirked up before he rolled his eyes. "Jane?"

"Right, Jane. She said she'll come down here in the morning. There should be a car to pick us all up and we'll go check in somewhere else."

"Somewhere nicer," he growled questioningly.

She laughed. "Yes. Somewhere nicer. You're such a complainer."

"I wasn't complaining a few hours ago."

She shook her head at him. "Shut up."


	3. Make-Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane thinks it's a good idea that Loki gets a make-over, because she doesn't want him to be recognized, which would probably start an international disaster. Darcy hates the idea and Loki's ok with it.

A curious 'Trill Trill' 'Trill Trill' tinkling sound seeped into Loki's subconscious. One of the first things he'd learned when taking upon himself the burden of wielding Earth Magic was to put up mental trip wires. It was impossible for anyone or anything to sneak up on him when he was sleeping. There were two settings. The Timid setting and the React setting.

The React setting snapped him to full alert wakefulness when he was in danger. The Timid setting, which was what he was using now activated softly. His dream had become an aurora of colors and quickly faded to black. Sounds were filtered in through compartmentalized strands that he could sort through. A small square shaped space illuminated in front of him.

He lifted the space that would be his leg and the darkness that was his subconscious pulled away from him. As what would be his foot touched the illuminated space his body solidified. He settled his other foot on the illuminated space and raised his head. A strand formed of large red bulbs was stretched out in an arch before him. He raised his arms outwards and quickly brought them together in front of him.

The bulbs started to shrink. He curled his hands in to fists and the bulbs blinked once and stopped shrinking. They were now the size of a marble. He dropped his left arm and made a 'come hither' motion with the index finger of his right hand and one of the bulbs began to glow brighter than the rest. It floated towards him, leaving a hair thin line of glowing red light behind it, keeping it attached to the cluster of other bulbs.

It stopped a few feet in front of him and it began to shrink into itself. When it was completely flat it blinked once and a screen with crystal clear quality of the motel room he was sleeping in was projected outwards. He pressed an index finger to the screen and slowly moved it to the right. The position of the room changed from a view of the restroom door to a view of Darcy's face and the bedside table to her left. He abruptly stopped his movement and rolled his eyes.

'Trill Trill' 'Trill Trill'.

It was the sound of Darcy's cell phone going off. The tiny bright pink device was placed face down, which made the alert light barely visible each time it blinked. It was a good thing that checking these alarms didn't use a significant amount of energy. He pursed his lips and snapped his fingers. Everything around him disappeared and he was once again embraced by darkness that was his subconscious.

\------

"Darcy," a gentle voice was whispering in her ear. Her fingers tightened in reflex and she registered the soft material of pillow between them. She moaned in complaint. "Jane is on her way," the voice continued in the same tone. In annoyance, she wrinkled her nose.

"I purchased you a cappuccino."

Ok, for that, she could give it. It was acceptable. However, regardless of the level of enthusiasm she held for Java, it didn't make it any easier for her to pry her eyes open. After a few unsuccessful tries, she brought her hands up to her face and used her index fingers and thumbs to push her eyelids apart. "I hate mornings," she complained.

She blinked up blearily at a foam cup that seemed much larger than it should be. Her face contorted into something that she knew was overly exaggerated and completely unattractive as Loki pushed the cup closer. "Stop it," she squeaked, a second before she scrambled out from under the cup and off the bed. When she straightened, Loki was giving her a questioning look. She rolled her shoulders awkwardly and took a step towards the bed. Loki held the cup out for her.

She took it and being careful not to spill it, used her knees to climb back on the bed. She sat down on the pillow she'd been using and tentatively took a sip of her cappuccino. It was a little on the Mocha-y side, but there was enough cream and vanilla to make it bearable. She smiled and took another sip. "Thank you," she said to Loki who was watching her with a bit of that same questioning look from when she'd jumped off the bed.

There was also the residual existence of his never ending level of annoyance at everything Human related and an air of boredom that comes with a new day. Her smile widened.

\------

Twenty minutes later, Darcy looked up from her cellphone when a loud barrage of knocks started on the door of their motel room. She sighed. Didn't Jane know how to gently knock on a door? Out of bemusement, annoyance and duty she tossed her cellphone on the bed and crossed the room. Jane pushed past her the moment she opened the door.

Darcy puffed her lips out and gazed outside the door. There was the typical motel view of vehicles parked in the spaces in front of their owners' rooms. There was the sidewalk in front of their room. "Ugh," she groaned as she stepped back and closed the door.

\------

Darcy and Loki were sitting on one side of the bed while Jane spoke to them. Jane was standing with her hands clasped together in front of her, leaning slightly to the side as she tried to press the importance of what she'd just proposed.

"Now, I know that it's not ideal," she said, feeling increasingly more awkward. "And I know that you two have been together for a year and yes he's helped repair the damage he's done here, but all of that is a secret and some people may still recognize him as the super villain who tried to take over Earth." She made air quotes as she said 'super villain'.

Mouth hanging partly open in shock and feeling outraged, Darcy tried to picture Loki with short hair and it made her squirm in her seat. She looked at him when Loki touched her arm. He was smiling gently at her and she closed her mouth to narrow her eyes at him. "You're completely ok with this aren't you?"

His hold on her hand tightened affectionately before he removed it. "Changing my appearance is a good idea. In fact, I should have done it sooner," he replied.

She scoffed and waved an arm in his direction. "It's a dumb idea and I don't like it." She wrinkled up her nose as an image of him with a beard popped into her head.

"Darcy," Jane insisted. "The last thing I want to do is start an international disaster while I'm working." By the time she was finished her eyes were wide and she was shaking her.

"Get off me you psycho," she said, forcefully removing her hands off her shoulders. "I don't want my boyfriend looking like some weird hip human homey. If I wanted a human, I'd date a human. I'm dating an Asgardian and damn it, he should look like an Asgardian."

Letting out a little laugh, Loki turned her to face him. "While I appreciate your concern, love, starting an international disaster is not my idea of a fun time and you did promise that we were going to spend a lot of intimate time together, here. Yes?"

Covering her face, Darcy said, "Don't say 'intimate time'. It's 'us' time. Intimate indicates sex and I'm pretty sure Jane doesn't want to think about us bumping uglies." She peeked between her fingers to see that, yes, Jane was blushing and looking away, uncomfortably.

Loki let out a little laugh of amusement. "I must do this, Darcy."

She grit her teeth. "Fine," she conceded, throwing her hands up. "Cut your stupid hair. Do whatever, but don't get mad at me when I make you sleep on the couch."

He shook his head, gentle expression dropping. "That's not going to happen."

"Oh, yeah. I'll lock the door."

"I'll break it down."

Crossing her arms defiantly, she said, "Then I'll sleep on the couch."

He glared at her.

She glared at him.

\------

When they checked in at the hotel that they were originally supposed to stay at, Darcy was in no mood to take in the decor. She grabbed her room key and marched ahead of Jane and Loki. Ok, so she understood why Loki had to change his appearance. He was Loki, 'The Loki' who had tried to take over the Earth and ok, so he'd killed a shit ton of innocent people. He'd also given up his title for her and whatever abilities that came along with it. He'd sacrificed a lot and he obviously didn't mind changing his appearance to keep things from getting out of control. She knew he was doing it for her as much as he was doing it for himself and Jane, but damn it. When people drastically changed their appearance she had to work hard to get used to it. She didn't know if it was an O.C.D thing or an anxiety thing, but she hated having to go through that.

\------

Since the moment they'd checked into the hotel, Darcy had refused to even acknowledge his existence, so Loki had been reduced to asking Dr. Foster to help him find an establishment to get his hair cut. As they made their way outside, the hotel lobby was quiet even with the amount of people in it; some sitting in wait, some checking in, some just wandering around. The car that had been assigned for Dr. Fosters personal use was a sleek black thing with polished silver metal seated over the middle of the tires. He resisted the urge to circle around it in order to get a better look.

"Come on," Dr. Foster said, opening the Driver's door.

She slid in and he quickly did the same. He couldn't help, but smile at the power he felt all around him as the car came to life. The rumble traveled down the length of it and vibrated slightly before it smoothed out to remain a deep hum. The experience was nothing like riding a horse or the few mechanical vehicles he'd used on other planets. He knew there were a lot of Midgardian vehicles that were designed solely for appearances sake, but this one... Oh, it was meant to be very functional. If needs be, with the right driver, not very many people would be able to catch up to them and if one did so manage it, then they would have one hell of a fight on their hands.

He glanced at the side mirror as they eased away from the sidewalk and into traffic. There was a small blue car a good distance behind them. He pursed his lips and pushed his back more firmly against the seat. Dr. Foster was oddly stiff as she drove and Loki couldn't help, but wonder if he'd made a mistake by asking her to help him. "Am I making you uncomfortable," he asked and winced when she visibly flinched.

Eyes wide, she glanced at him and her hands tightened on the steering wheel. "What?" Her voice came out a little higher than usual. "No. Of course not."

He pursed his lips at her.

Deflating, she sighed and said, "Ok. Not you exactly. Although, yeah kinda. It's just..." She clicked the blinker in to place before she came to a stop, then turned right. "You're you," she continued. "And this whole thing about you needing to change your appearance. It's just..." Waving a hand around, she seemed exasperated.

He understood the situation. Indeed, he was who he was and he knew what he'd done and how others' feelings about all of it were. He deserved it. It was his own fault that people felt the way they did about him. "I apologize for putting you in this situation," he said. "It would be fine if you wanted to go back to the hotel. I'm sure I can procure a ride for myself."

Her eyes remained wide, but something in them changed. "What," she said and it came out as loud as when she'd first started speaking, but the pitch was different. It didn't sound like she was trying to force herself to say something untrue. "No, that's ridiculous. I said I'd help you and that's what I'm going to do."

Confused, one side of his mouth twitch and he fought to smooth his expression back out. He shook his head lightly. "I don't understand why you seem so..." He waved a hand vaguely around in her direction. "Stiff. You seem very much like you'd prefer to be anywhere, but here."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and he caught the way her chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath. The stiffness seemed to drain out of her as she halted the vehicle at a stop sign. Turning to face him, she said, "It's not you. I promise. Well... Ok. I really have to get used to you and you are Thor's brother and Darcy's boyfriend and..."

He leaned slightly away from her as she started to ramble. Even though he was used to rambling from Darcy, it never became easier to deal with. He wanted to shake her and tell her to get to the point already.

"...I just... I'm not used to being around you and you're you and..." She quickly faced the front when traffic started moving forward. As she spoke, she kept her attention on the road and it seemed that having her attention on something else helped keep her calm enough to speak in full sentences. "I'm sorry if I've made you feel like I have a personal problem with you. According to Darcy, you've been doing a lot of work to try and repair the damage you've done."

"She mentioned repairs and protective and shield spells on the planet. Even mentioned that it takes a lot of energy out of you to do some of that stuff. It must be something to be so tired that you collapse from exhaustion." She gasped and abruptly went quiet.

His expression sharpened.

There was an awkward silence before Loki cleared his throat. Apparently, he and Darcy needed to have a talk about what information was supposed to stay between them and what could be shared with other people. Since it had already been brought up and because he didn't want to mess up the little bit of track way he and Dr. Foster had made, he said, "Yes, sometimes, I overwork myself. I reached exhaustion levels months ago when I'd first given up my badges. It took me some time to get used to the physical changes without them."

She nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, it didn't mean to..." Lifting one shoulder awkwardly, she finished with, "...ya know."

"It's alright." It was alright for her. She hadn't necessarily done anything wrong. She just had a tendency for rambling information off without thinking about what she was saying until she'd already said it. Darcy on the other hand...

\------

They stopped in front of front of a small brick building. The word Vista was printed in white and the block font covered most of the left upper hand corner of the floor to ceiling window beside the door. Beneath it in and almost to the middle of the window a small list of the services they offered started.

~ Manicure/Pedicure

~ Facials

~ Haircuts/Styles

~ We have Event Package Pricing.

Loki studied the decal curiously. "What is Event Package Pricing," he asked.

Jane took a step around him and read the list of services. "It means like weddings, or proms or maybe a girls day out. Stuff like that."

"Yes, but what do they mean by Event Package Pricing?"

"Um..." She looked back at the list, then said, "They give whoever is receiving their services a special price and instead of it being each person paying for the individual service, it's a group price."

He lifted his head in understanding. "Got it. Thank you." He opened the door and went inside.

The young woman behind the desk was black, with a light complexion. Her medium length Fro was a rich combination of medium browns and a soft shade of blonde. There was more brown than blonde and the mix made the brighter shades of her hazel eyes pop. She was wearing minimal make up, which still managed to accentuate her features. He noted that she was wearing red blouse as she quickly ended her phone call and straightened to greet them.

Smiling, she said, "Hello, welcome to Vista's. My name's Keisha. What can I do for you today?"

Loki opened his mouth to speak and was momentarily surprised when Dr. Foster stepped in front of him to offer her hand to the woman.

"Hi, Keisha," she said. Keisha's smile brightened and she shook her hand. Dr. Foster turned to point at him and he smiled in return. "This is my friend..." Luckily, she didn't pause long enough to be suspicious and Loki found himself wanting to laugh at her slip up. "Lyle." She opened her hand up and waved it around vaguely in his direction. "He wants a change and this is the first haircut that he's gotten outside of his home and he's a little nervous. You think you could help him out."

He was impressed that she had actually stepped up and taken control of the situation. Maybe, she really didn't feel as uncomfortable around him as he'd originally thought and perhaps she wasn't as awkward of a person as she always seemed to be.

Keisha nodded. "I can understand how that can make someone feel uncomfortable," she told him. "We want to make sure that you get something you're comfortable with and if you decide that you still don't feel comfortable you can leave any time you want. No one's forcing you to get a haircut."

He grinned then. "Oh, I like that," he said and he did. How could you not respect a place of business that was more interested in the client's well being and not on making money? "I would like to receive something short, but age appropriate. Would you happen to have a portfolio?"

She pursed her lips for a second, as if in thought, then told him to follow her. Stopping in front of a small coffee table surrounded by six chairs, she leaned over to pick up a tall book with a glossed cover. "Here." Passing the book to him, she informed him that it was the latest addition of Style and that the men's hairstyles started on page seventy-two. "You can either choose from one of these styles or you can describe exactly what you want to which ever one of the stylists that you are assigned to."

He caressed the glossed cover and thanked her. "We just sit here then," he asked, tipping his head in the direction of the nearest chairs.

She looked around the space before looking back at him. "Yes. This is the waiting area. Just let me know when you're ready. We should have someone free by then and if not it won't be that long of a wait."

Dr. Foster smiled as Keisha passed her and then turned to indicate one of the seats next to the window. Loki took the seat beside her and flipped the book open. After a minute he frowned when the numbers quit being visible on the pages. He flipped another page and another and his lips formed a tight line. "Is this normal," he asked, explaining the problem to her.

She made a face. "Yeah. Magazines do that sometimes. I don't know why. I think it's annoying, to."

Thankfully, the numbers picked up again after the next few pages. When he found page seventy-two he rolled his eyes because it was an advertisement for some unrecognizable beauty product. Midgardians were so... He forced the thought away as he realized that the next page featured what was clearly a man positioned in a way that made his hair the main focus of the space. The man was fair skinned and the front of his short brown hair was swept to the side in a messy razor edged cut.

He noted the style, because even though he didn't love it, he liked it and it seemed to be fashionable enough to not look sloppy, but to also not stand out too much. The next hairstyle was ridiculous. It was long and the curls were clearly exaggerated and the effect against the masculine shape of his face made him look unproportionate. Wrinkling his nose, he turned the page. The next few were boring and they all looked the same. All short cuts, one was brown, one was black and one was... some weird combination of purple and brown. Annoyed, he closed the magazine and laid it back on the table. He didn't need examples to get a decent haircut.

\------

It had only taken ten minutes for Darcy to get bored once Jane and Loki the hotel. She'd started going through the information packet and had found a detail that made this stay even more sweeter. They had a heated pool and she had jumped on that, not even bothering to put her bathing-suit on, but grab it in passing and wait until she was in the pool room. Luckily, there was a changing room. One for the guys and one for the girls.

"One for the hot girls," she said in a sing songy voice as she looked at her bathing-suit. It was a strawberry red, two-piece and she'd only worn it one other time. She'd bought it for some random pool party one of her friends had begged her to go to. It surprisingly had been a classy party. Even though there had been no fancy chandelier and they'd drank box wine, there had been wine glasses and they'd given out awards for best bathing-suit.

She'd only won Runner Up, because the girl that did win had been wearing an aqua colored thong bottom. That was such shit, but she'd resigned herself to the fact that sex sold. However, there was no way she was showing extra skin to win some stupid swimsuit contest. The changing room had enough room that her elbow only touched the wall once while she was fastening her top. The material that covered the top part of her cleavage gave the illusion of lace, but it was actually some kind of elastic.

Her swimsuit was on the almost pretty, but still sexy side. The pool was surrounded by large white chairs that you could adjust from sitting up all the way to laying down. Leaving her folded up clothes on the one closest to the door, she first tested the water with a toe and it was satisfyingly warm, almost hot. Then, she carefully climbed down the latter, allowing herself to float up on to her back when she got to the bottom of it. The water was awesome.

It felt like a giant luxurious bath and it was where Loki found her almost three hours later. She'd met a few people since then. There had been a few families, a group of girl friends on some kind of vacation she didn't ask about (she did wonder if they were stealing from mommy and daddy's bank account to sneak off and do something fun, though), and an adorable elderly couple with their grandson.

"You know, you really shouldn't dress like that in public," a deep nasally voice said behind her head. Her eyebrows furrowed as they finished with, "You never know when you've drawn the wrong attention to yourself." Angrily, she spun around and froze. It was Loki and the asshole was smiling down at her. He was crouching down at the edge of the pool and she really wanted to pull him into the water, but she had already learned that he couldn't be moved unless he wanted to be, so she just rolled her eyes.

"I never realized how much of a creeper you could be until this moment," she said sarcastically.

The grin he gave her was equally creepy as the voice he'd first spoken to her in.

"Why are you even down here, anyway?"

He sighed and lowered himself down until he was sitting cross-legged. "I guess you still have your undergarments in a tiff." His eyes narrowed as he scanned her body. "Speaking of undergarments, why are you dressed like that in public?"

She couldn't help the little sarcastic laugh that left her mouth, because the gall of this man. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you've never seen a bikini before."

"A what?"

"A bi-ki-ni," she said, making sure to enunciate each syllable. "What I'm wearing." It wasn't like she could show him her entire body while floating in a pool, so she didn't bother. He could see enough of her to know what she meant. "Speaking of clothes..." She waved a hand in his direction.

He was wearing a black outfit that she couldn't really describe. It was weird how the pants fit his waist, but still seemed to be so big. And the shirt was mostly hidden behind a coat of equally thick material. It looked like he was wearing some kind of boots... maybe. She couldn't see all of them, because the pants legs were so long.

"Why are you dressed like that? Suddenly, there was a large brimmed hat on his head that also matched the black color and thick material of his clothes. She blinked and wrinkled her nose, then looked around quickly. Thankfully, no one seemed to be paying them any attention. "Are you crazy," she hissed at him.

He fingered the front of the brim before he dropped his hand and said, "I bought a few outfits today and they all have their purpose. Now, are you going continue swimming around naked or will you accompany me to our room? I've bought you a present."

Present! She cleared her throat and swam a few feet back. "First of all, I'm not naked and second of all, I'm still mad at you."

He sighed. "Really, Darcy? You're acting like a child and seeing as how me getting my haircut was the beginning of this fight, I'm surprised you haven't said anything about it."

She hadn't said anything about it, because she didn't want to acknowledge it. "I am not acting like a child and we're not in the middle of a fight, so i'm not seeing your point."

Standing up, he narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you really doing this, then?"

"I'm not doing anything."

"Fine." He turned and headed for the door.

"Fine," she said a little louder than him. She watched him until he disappeared around the corner, then she let herself sink below the water. Ok, she was acting like a child. A very annoying, petulant one, but she still didn't want to talk about the hair thing.


	4. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy apologizes for being rude about Loki getting a haircut and he forgives her, then he shows her the present he got for her.

Ok. She’d admit it. She had a little bit of a problem. Maybe she’d go see a therapist for it or something. The plastic keycard slipped in the lock easily and the red light turned to green. 

Opening the door, she tentatively made her way inside her hotel room. A small light illuminated the hallway in a warm glow and she followed the path towards the bedroom. She came to a halt at the kitchen doorway when she spotted Loki sitting at the island. He was wearing a pair of gray pants that looked soft. 

She wasn’t sure if they were sleeping pants or if they served another purpose. Now, the faded brown pajama top he was wearing was definitely obvious. His hair looked different than it did at the pool and it prompted her to circle around in front of him to get a better look. He looked up at the sound of her footsteps, but she’d bet that he’d known she was there before she ever even came inside the hotel room. He was cool like that.

His face remained passive as she studied him. 

The length was really short, but thankfully none of it had been buzzed. She didn’t understand hairstyles on men that were longer on the sides, front and then buzzed or even shaved off in the back. What was that? She liked her men with hair. All of Loki’s hair was cut, not buzzed and before it had been kind of slicked back, but now it looked like it had been purposely styled to have a slight wavy texture all over it.

It was stylish. She smiled. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually like it.” 

The sides of his lips barely tilted up, but she could tell he was pleased. “Really? Because I got the impression that you were going to pretend it didn’t exist.”

She felt her cheeks heat and she shrugged. “So, you know me. I’m weird like that.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. 

“I’ll make it up, geeze.”

“Really? How do you propose to do that?”

She grinned. “I could kneel.”

He threw his head back and laughed. When he could talk again, he said, “Come, I want to show you your present.” He held out his hand and she took it. 

There bedroom was made up of two almost see through walls and a large black glossy door. She didn’t think of it as a room perse’. It was more like a romantic enclosed space. The bed took up most of the room and there was a silver vanity against the left wall. The dresser was made of the same stuff the door was and the wood was shaped in a flowing way that made her think of waves. It stretched from the left side of the bed all the way to the far left wall and it was made into the wall, so it didn’t take up any extra space. She hadn’t noticed that little detail earlier, but she really liked it. “Oooo,” she said. The two walls look like they may have been made of glass… maybe.

The light from the sitting room shone through them casting a warm amber glow to give the room the perfect high-class feel without wigging you out. “Now, I got to ask,” she said walking to the bed and plopping down. “Did they actually give us this room or did you, ya know…” She tapped an index finger to her nose. The first time she’d done that, he hadn’t known what she meant, then she’d forced him to watch an entire season of Bewitched. 

Now, he knew that the nose tap meant magic power, tricks, deception. 

He grinned at her. “Now, darling. Why would think such a thing about me? I would never.”

She snorted. “Yeah, ok,” she said sarcastically. “But seriously, did you?”

His expression softened. “No. Apparently, Dr. Foster’s help is being greatly appreciated. Did she mention exactly what kind of project she’s working on?”

“Possibly. Something about waves and particles…” She made a face. “Or maybe it was something to do with Space or something. When she starts rambling I just tune her out.”

His eyes widened slightly at the memory of her rambling while taking him to get his haircut.

Darcy laughed and pointed at him. “Oh, so you know what I mean then?” 

“I never thought it would be possible, but I think she’s worse than you.”

“Hey!”

He smiled at her and turned back around. “I’ll be back. I have to go get your present.”

She clapped her hands together. “Right. Present. What is it?”

He made a face at her, then left the room.

“Oh, you’re no fun,” she called out.

He called back, “A present is a surprise.”

She huffed. “Yeah yeah. Lame.” Of course, she was only playing… kind of. She was the kind of girl that appreciated spoilers. It helped her know exactly what she was getting herself into. Spoilers had helped her save precious hours on her life that could have been wasted on bad movies and crappy concerts.

When Loki came back he was carrying a rectangular white box made of delicate wrapping. It had a green ribbon wrapped around it and she smiled as he gave her a pointed look. It said ‘That’s right baby - You’re Mine’. Well, that’s what it said in her mind. In his mind it was probably something like… well… it was teasing. 

He liked to tease.

He handed her the box and she was surprised at the weight. It didn’t feel solid like something big, but… she shook it, which made him smirk at her. She stuck her tongue out at him, which made him shake his head at her. The ribbon slipped off easily. The first thing she saw when she flipped the top back was soft white tissue paper, then her eyes caught green. 

Removing the tissue paper revealed exactly why he had given her that pointed look and it was teasing in nature. It was a dark green color. She fingered the material and even though it looked thick it felt soft. At least it wouldn’t make her itch. He leaned over and pulled it out to show her it’s entirety. 

The sleeves were shaped to go out and down over her shoulders in a way that reminded her of the way his sleeves looked when he was wearing his Asgardian armour. It was ankle length and there was a long slit going up the right side of the front of it. “Now, I thought you were complaining about me showing too much skin and you want me to show off my leg. You hypocrite.” 

“This is appropriate,” he stated, looking down at it. “It covers your breasts and that slit is to show the world nothing more than what they’re missing out on.”

“So basically you’re teasing people with my no no square.”

His eyebrows drew together like the reference to her vagina confused him. Then he said, “No. As long as you don’t tease them, then you are just going to remain a lady. There is nothing wrong with showing a little skin.” He emphasized on the word ‘little’. 

“Oh, shut up.” She stood up and fingered the dress again. As she got closer, she noticed a speck of silver, then realized that it was all over. “Oooo, shiny.” 

“Mm, yes,” he said smiling. “When the light hits it the effect will draw everyone in the rooms eye to you.”

“Show off.” 

“You are mine, Darcy and I want the whole world to know that you are with me.” 

She shivered. “Man, when you say stuff like that…” 

He grinned at her and she pulled the dress from his fingers. Laying it on the bed she said, “Come take a shower with me.” She grabbed his hand and started pulling him out of the room. 

\------

As they lay in bed that night she poked him in the ribs. “Hey, you never told me where we’re going?”

“Surprise,” he mumbled. 

She huffed into his chest. “Lame.” 

His chest moved rapidly under her head as he laughed at her.

She smacked him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is link to the dress that Loki bought her. She's going to look better in it though. Dark hair, larger breasts. Yes, she'll fill it out much better. 
> 
> http://picture-cdn.wheretoget.it/oemla2-l.jpg

**Author's Note:**

> I invite you to leave 'Kudos' to support my work + 'Subscribe' to be notified when there's an update. Thank you so much for reading.


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